Last month playwright Jez Butterworth brought his latest work, “The Hills of California,” to Broadway. The haunting family drama explores the relationships between four sisters and their dying mother in their creaky seaside home, seamlessly moving back and forth in time between 1976 and 1955. The play previously bowed in London earlier this year, and before coming stateside it earned two Olivier Award nominations for Best New Play and Best Actress for Laura Donnelly, who reprises her performance in New York.
Since his Broadway debut only 13 years ago, Butterworth has quickly established himself as one of the theater’s most accomplished contemporary playwrights. He has two Tony nominations to his name, for New York debut “Jerusalem” in 2011 and for his Tony-winning epic “The Ferryman” in 2019. Those nominations alone already tie him with theater royalty including Ayad Akhtar, Tony Kushner, Tracy Letts, David Mamet, Lynn Nottage, Eugene O’Neill, and Wendy Wasserstein — all...
Since his Broadway debut only 13 years ago, Butterworth has quickly established himself as one of the theater’s most accomplished contemporary playwrights. He has two Tony nominations to his name, for New York debut “Jerusalem” in 2011 and for his Tony-winning epic “The Ferryman” in 2019. Those nominations alone already tie him with theater royalty including Ayad Akhtar, Tony Kushner, Tracy Letts, David Mamet, Lynn Nottage, Eugene O’Neill, and Wendy Wasserstein — all...
- 10/23/2024
- by David Buchanan
- Gold Derby
Jeremy Allen White’s success in the critically acclaimed Hulu series The Bear has turned him into the talk of the town. Further, with two Golden Globe awards under his belt, the actor sparked discussions about his lineage and family. And surprisingly, he has been mentioned in the same breath as the late legend Gene Wilder.
Jeremy Allen White in The Bear | image: FX on Hulu
Many believe the two look strikingly similar, leading this comparison to gain traction when Jeremy Allen White was fan-cast to play Willy Wonka in 2023’s Wonka by netizens who saw his uncanny resemblance to Gene Wilder. This fan-casting further led the internet to believe the two are related. Well, let’s check out if it’s true or just a chocolatey myth.
Who is Jeremy Allen White and His Family?
Born on February 17, 1991, to Eloise Zeigler and Richard White, in Brooklyn, New York, Jeremy...
Jeremy Allen White in The Bear | image: FX on Hulu
Many believe the two look strikingly similar, leading this comparison to gain traction when Jeremy Allen White was fan-cast to play Willy Wonka in 2023’s Wonka by netizens who saw his uncanny resemblance to Gene Wilder. This fan-casting further led the internet to believe the two are related. Well, let’s check out if it’s true or just a chocolatey myth.
Who is Jeremy Allen White and His Family?
Born on February 17, 1991, to Eloise Zeigler and Richard White, in Brooklyn, New York, Jeremy...
- 10/5/2024
- by Krittika Mukherjee
- FandomWire
It’s understandable that most movie and TV fans remember Maggie Smith for her dynamic work in the “Harry Potter” films and “Downton Abbey.” More recent and far more widely seen in their time, they are worthy examples of her outstanding work.
But unknown to even some of the most knowledgeable cinephiles is most of her screen work before the 1980s beyond her two Oscar wins (Best Actress for “The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie” and Supporting Actress for “California Suite”). Her passing at 89 represents a chance to look back at not only roles that conveyed her later brilliance but also, in some cases, present a broader range than what became the standard — though always with nuance and distinctiveness — Maggie Smith role of later years.
When reviewing her film career until at least 2008, it’s critical to remember that she was first and foremost a stage actor. She joined Laurence Olivier...
But unknown to even some of the most knowledgeable cinephiles is most of her screen work before the 1980s beyond her two Oscar wins (Best Actress for “The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie” and Supporting Actress for “California Suite”). Her passing at 89 represents a chance to look back at not only roles that conveyed her later brilliance but also, in some cases, present a broader range than what became the standard — though always with nuance and distinctiveness — Maggie Smith role of later years.
When reviewing her film career until at least 2008, it’s critical to remember that she was first and foremost a stage actor. She joined Laurence Olivier...
- 9/28/2024
- by Tom Brueggemann
- Indiewire
For most people born in the past three decades, Maggie Smith became a familiar figure as Minerva McGonagall, the transfiguration professor and deputy headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in the Harry Potter movies. That strict but kind sorceress dispensed both imperious commands and compassionate counsel in a clipped Scottish brogue from beneath her pointed black hat.
Others might have met her as Violet Crawley, the tart-tongued Dowager Countess of Grantham in Downton Abbey, whose advanced age and creeping infirmity did nothing to diminish her Old World authority — “I wouldn’t know, I’m not familiar with the sensation,” she once remarked, on the foreign concept of being wrong — or her precision at landing a cutting put-down.
Smith died today in London, aged 89, and those who know her only from those two signature roles would do well to sample the many jewels elsewhere in her seven-decade filmography.
For...
Others might have met her as Violet Crawley, the tart-tongued Dowager Countess of Grantham in Downton Abbey, whose advanced age and creeping infirmity did nothing to diminish her Old World authority — “I wouldn’t know, I’m not familiar with the sensation,” she once remarked, on the foreign concept of being wrong — or her precision at landing a cutting put-down.
Smith died today in London, aged 89, and those who know her only from those two signature roles would do well to sample the many jewels elsewhere in her seven-decade filmography.
For...
- 9/27/2024
- by David Rooney
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Dame Maggie Smith leaves behind a towering legacy in the wake of her death at the age of 89. The legendary actress spent almost 70 years dominating the stage and screens big and small on both sides of the pond. She won two Oscars, five BAFTAs, four Emmys, and a Tony over the course of many decades, during which she never stopped working and never stopped stealing scenes. She was a generational talent who meant something different to each generation: one of the faces of the ‘60s British invasion of Hollywood; a theatrical legend; character actress; comedic gem; and everyone’s favorite wizarding school deputy headmistress. Smith worked until almost the very end, which included being a supermodel for a 2023 Loewe campaign.
But it was the scathingly witty Dowager Duchess who came to define the final years of her illustrious career and made her one of the most beloved TV stars of the 2010s.
But it was the scathingly witty Dowager Duchess who came to define the final years of her illustrious career and made her one of the most beloved TV stars of the 2010s.
- 9/27/2024
- by Kayleigh Donaldson
- The Wrap
Dame Maggie Smith was many things. Hilarious and tragic. Elegant and aloof. Enchanting and deadly serious. Most will attribute their appreciation of her multiple-generation spanning career to roles in the “Harry Potter” or “Sister Act” franchises or perhaps “Downton Abbey,” which elevated her fame to a level she often spoke disdainfully of. For Smith was not an actress who was in it for the red carpets or accolades — though she received many, including two Oscars, five Baftas, four Emmys, and a Tony — but rather treated acting as a sturdy profession, one that required of her the utmost presence while on set or stage.
Beginning her career in the early 1950s, she played Viola in William Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night” at The Oxford Playhouse, followed later by roles in “As You Like It” and “The Merry Wives of Windsor” at London’s famed Old Vic theater. She rose to prominence on...
Beginning her career in the early 1950s, she played Viola in William Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night” at The Oxford Playhouse, followed later by roles in “As You Like It” and “The Merry Wives of Windsor” at London’s famed Old Vic theater. She rose to prominence on...
- 9/27/2024
- by Harrison Richlin
- Indiewire
Maggie Smith, the Oscar-winning British actress who starred in Downton Abbey and the Harry Potter series, has died at the age of 89.
Smith’s sons announced her death Friday morning in a statement. No cause of death was revealed, but the actress was at a British hospital at the time of her death.
“It is with great sadness we have to announce the death of Dame Maggie Smith,” her sons Toby Stephens and Chris Larkin said in the statement to Rolling Stone. “She passed away peacefully in hospital early this morning,...
Smith’s sons announced her death Friday morning in a statement. No cause of death was revealed, but the actress was at a British hospital at the time of her death.
“It is with great sadness we have to announce the death of Dame Maggie Smith,” her sons Toby Stephens and Chris Larkin said in the statement to Rolling Stone. “She passed away peacefully in hospital early this morning,...
- 9/27/2024
- by Daniel Kreps
- Rollingstone.com
Mia Farrow and Patti LuPone make for an appealing and very welcome stage duo in Broadway’s new comedy-drama The Roommate, a pairing that’s selling out the Booth Theatre in an engagement opening tonight.
Unfortunately, their third costar – a beige landline telephone that gets an implausibly large role for a play set in the current day – is required to pull more weight than it or the story can handle.
First produced in 2015 at a Louisville regional theater, Jen Silverman’s play shows its age with that wall phone – the superfluous presence of an iPhone suggests maybe there’s been some tinkering over the years, and, if so, not enough – while other details might have seemed dated even nine years ago.
And those aren’t the only flaws in this awkwardly paced, abruptly mood-shifting tale of two very...
Unfortunately, their third costar – a beige landline telephone that gets an implausibly large role for a play set in the current day – is required to pull more weight than it or the story can handle.
First produced in 2015 at a Louisville regional theater, Jen Silverman’s play shows its age with that wall phone – the superfluous presence of an iPhone suggests maybe there’s been some tinkering over the years, and, if so, not enough – while other details might have seemed dated even nine years ago.
And those aren’t the only flaws in this awkwardly paced, abruptly mood-shifting tale of two very...
- 9/13/2024
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Peter Marshall, who hosted the popular game show The Hollywood Squares for more than 15 years and had a long career as an actor, singer and comic, died today of kidney failure at his Encino home. He was 98. His publicist Harlan Boll confirmed to news to Deadline.
Marshall won four Daytime Emmys for hosting the syndicated Hollywood Squares from 1966-81. The tic-tac-toe game featured two contestants agreeing or disagreeing with celebrities who provided answers to Marshall’s questions — which ranged from silly to ribald. The format has been revived a few times over the years, with a new edition hosted by Nate Burleson with Drew Barrymore in the famed center square is to premiere in midseason.
Among the scores of stars who appeared on Hollywood Squares were Walter Matthau, Gloria Swanson, Glenn Ford, and Milton Berle, as well as regulars Paul Lynde — who often killed as the center square — Rose Marie,...
Marshall won four Daytime Emmys for hosting the syndicated Hollywood Squares from 1966-81. The tic-tac-toe game featured two contestants agreeing or disagreeing with celebrities who provided answers to Marshall’s questions — which ranged from silly to ribald. The format has been revived a few times over the years, with a new edition hosted by Nate Burleson with Drew Barrymore in the famed center square is to premiere in midseason.
Among the scores of stars who appeared on Hollywood Squares were Walter Matthau, Gloria Swanson, Glenn Ford, and Milton Berle, as well as regulars Paul Lynde — who often killed as the center square — Rose Marie,...
- 8/15/2024
- by Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
A two-part documentary about comedy legend Mel Brooks from directors Judd Apatow and Michael Bonfiglio has been set at HBO.
The HBO Documentary Films and Apatow Productions project, now in production, will trace Brooks’ journey from Brooklyn to Hollywood and Broadway. Joe Beshenkovsky, who last worked with Apatow and Bonfiglio on HBO’s four-hour documentary George Carlin’s American Dream, will edit the documentary.
Apatow promises a career-spanning film about the comedy legend behind classic movie farces and parodies. “I went into comedy because of my love for Mel Brooks. This project is the dream of a lifetime,” the Hollywood writer-director-producer said in a statement.
Brooks’ career began with Sid Caesar’s Your Show of Shows where he worked alongside the late Carl Reiner, Neil Simon, and Larry Gelbart. That’s after the teenage comedian in the Catskills conquered the entertainment world with his satirical comedy.
Brooks earned an Oscar...
The HBO Documentary Films and Apatow Productions project, now in production, will trace Brooks’ journey from Brooklyn to Hollywood and Broadway. Joe Beshenkovsky, who last worked with Apatow and Bonfiglio on HBO’s four-hour documentary George Carlin’s American Dream, will edit the documentary.
Apatow promises a career-spanning film about the comedy legend behind classic movie farces and parodies. “I went into comedy because of my love for Mel Brooks. This project is the dream of a lifetime,” the Hollywood writer-director-producer said in a statement.
Brooks’ career began with Sid Caesar’s Your Show of Shows where he worked alongside the late Carl Reiner, Neil Simon, and Larry Gelbart. That’s after the teenage comedian in the Catskills conquered the entertainment world with his satirical comedy.
Brooks earned an Oscar...
- 7/24/2024
- by Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
James B. Sikking, the prolific, Emmy-nominated actor known for his roles on Hill Street Blues and Doogie Howser, M.D., died July 13 of dementia. He was 90.
Sikking died at his Los Angeles home, where his publicist Cynthia Snyder tells Deadline that the actor was surrounded by family in his final moments.
“In a remarkable career, Sikking’s wonderfully exciting face gave us drama, comedy, tragedy and hilarious farse. His career spanned over six decades in television, film and on stage,” said Snyder in a statement, adding: “His talent, integrity and imagination intrigued and delighted audiences.”
Sikking earned an Emmy nom in 1984 for playing the gung-ho S.W.A.T. leader Lt. Howard Hunter on Hill Street Blues during the show’s full 1981-87 run and co-starred as the title character’s father Dr. David Howser on Doogie Howser, M.D. from 1989-93. He also was a regular on Brooklyn South in 1997-98 appeared on such shows as Rawhide,...
Sikking died at his Los Angeles home, where his publicist Cynthia Snyder tells Deadline that the actor was surrounded by family in his final moments.
“In a remarkable career, Sikking’s wonderfully exciting face gave us drama, comedy, tragedy and hilarious farse. His career spanned over six decades in television, film and on stage,” said Snyder in a statement, adding: “His talent, integrity and imagination intrigued and delighted audiences.”
Sikking earned an Emmy nom in 1984 for playing the gung-ho S.W.A.T. leader Lt. Howard Hunter on Hill Street Blues during the show’s full 1981-87 run and co-starred as the title character’s father Dr. David Howser on Doogie Howser, M.D. from 1989-93. He also was a regular on Brooklyn South in 1997-98 appeared on such shows as Rawhide,...
- 7/15/2024
- by Glenn Garner
- Deadline Film + TV
Garry Marshall's 1987 film "Overboard" is brisk and light, although the premise is a little dark. Kurt Russell plays Dean, a blue-collar widower who is hired by a spoiled heiress named Joanna Stayton (Goldie Hawn) to build a custom closet. Dean does quality work, but Joanna refuses to pay him because of a few small, insignificant details. Joanna is an entitled, spoiled brat who treats everyone poorly.
When Joanna later falls off of a yacht and begins suffering from amnesia, Dean picks her up from the hospital, telling her that she's actually his wife Annie.
Joanna is taken to Dean's home, and he gets a form of karmic revenge on her. Dean instructs her to do extensive difficult chores around the house, and to take care of his four sons. For a short while, he takes delight in watching her suffer with the hard work, understanding that she was too...
When Joanna later falls off of a yacht and begins suffering from amnesia, Dean picks her up from the hospital, telling her that she's actually his wife Annie.
Joanna is taken to Dean's home, and he gets a form of karmic revenge on her. Dean instructs her to do extensive difficult chores around the house, and to take care of his four sons. For a short while, he takes delight in watching her suffer with the hard work, understanding that she was too...
- 7/13/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Kelsey Grammer seems to be a pretty busy guy. In addition to hosting historical docudramas for Fox News’ streaming service and brewing beer in the name of Jesus, he’s also starring in the new World War II drama Murder Company, a movie that probably would do way better were it to change the title to Frasier Crane Joins the Army.
To promote the film, Grammer recently spoke with Yahoo! Canada, revealing that his performance was partly inspired by his grandfather, who was a colonel during World War II. But since chatting with Grammer and not asking about Frasier Crane would be a little like making a trip to Las Vegas and not drunkenly pissing your money away, naturally the subject of the Frasier reboot was brought up.
When asked about the upcoming second season of the Paramount+ series, which is currently in production, Grammer responded, “We’re having a great time and the scripts,...
To promote the film, Grammer recently spoke with Yahoo! Canada, revealing that his performance was partly inspired by his grandfather, who was a colonel during World War II. But since chatting with Grammer and not asking about Frasier Crane would be a little like making a trip to Las Vegas and not drunkenly pissing your money away, naturally the subject of the Frasier reboot was brought up.
When asked about the upcoming second season of the Paramount+ series, which is currently in production, Grammer responded, “We’re having a great time and the scripts,...
- 7/11/2024
- Cracked
When Nicole Holofcener was coming up in the ’90s, she was celebrated as that rare thing: a female writer-director. Today, she’s no longer a rarity, and she’s still delivering sharp, funny observational comedies about flawed middle-class New York women. But somehow, the breadth and potential of her talent remains elusive.
Hollywood gives her scripts to write and rewrite and polish (for the big bucks). She wrote, with Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, “The Last Duel” for Ridley Scott, crafting the Jodie Comer character, and the Scarlett Johansson and Florence Pugh roles in Marvel’s “Black Widow.” She made more on that three-week assignment than three of her movies combined, she said at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, which tributed her this year, playing three of her films for an audience unfamiliar with her work. She’s currently writing for Gillian Anderson and Greta Lee in Disney’s latest iteration of “Tron.
Hollywood gives her scripts to write and rewrite and polish (for the big bucks). She wrote, with Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, “The Last Duel” for Ridley Scott, crafting the Jodie Comer character, and the Scarlett Johansson and Florence Pugh roles in Marvel’s “Black Widow.” She made more on that three-week assignment than three of her movies combined, she said at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, which tributed her this year, playing three of her films for an audience unfamiliar with her work. She’s currently writing for Gillian Anderson and Greta Lee in Disney’s latest iteration of “Tron.
- 7/5/2024
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Carrie Courogan titled her new book about Elaine May, the legendary writer, director, and comic, “Miss May Does Not Exist.” But for some, it might feel like May’s feature films don’t necessarily either – particularly “The Heartbreak Kid.” The 1972 comedy – a box office hit upon its release and future Oscar nominee – is out of print on physical media, never cycles through the surfeit of available streaming platforms, and rarely screens at repertory theaters. So it was little surprise to find an enthusiastic crowd inside New York’s Metrograph theater on Wednesday night for a 35mm members-only showing of “The Heartbreak Kid” pegged to the recent release of Courogan’s book. (The print was loaned out by the Academy Film Archive.)
Based on the short story by Bruce Jay Friedman and written for the screen by Neil Simon, “The Heartbreak Kid” focuses on Lenny Cantrow (a sublime Charles Grodin), a...
Based on the short story by Bruce Jay Friedman and written for the screen by Neil Simon, “The Heartbreak Kid” focuses on Lenny Cantrow (a sublime Charles Grodin), a...
- 6/27/2024
- by Christopher Rosen
- Gold Derby
Anthea Sylbert, the twice-Oscar-nominated costume designer behind “Chinatown,” “Shampoo” and “Rosemary’s Baby,” died Tuesday. She was 84 years old.
Sylbert died in Skiathos, Greece, according to media reports and as confirmed by Sakus Lalus, who’s directing a documentary on her life titled “My Life in 3 Acts.”
The documentary follows the costumer as she writes her memoir, delving into three decades of Hollywood history.
“Anthea Sylbert is a real trailblazer, not only as a brilliant Costume Designer two-times Oscar nominated, but as one of the few women in those years of the New Hollywood Era who crossed over from the creative and of moviemaking to the world of producing, first as an executive for Warner Bros., for United Artists and then for the SylbertHawn Film Productions, cofounded with her best friend, actress Goldie Hawn,” the documentary synopsis states.
Her designs were first seen on the big screen in Arthur Hiller’s...
Sylbert died in Skiathos, Greece, according to media reports and as confirmed by Sakus Lalus, who’s directing a documentary on her life titled “My Life in 3 Acts.”
The documentary follows the costumer as she writes her memoir, delving into three decades of Hollywood history.
“Anthea Sylbert is a real trailblazer, not only as a brilliant Costume Designer two-times Oscar nominated, but as one of the few women in those years of the New Hollywood Era who crossed over from the creative and of moviemaking to the world of producing, first as an executive for Warner Bros., for United Artists and then for the SylbertHawn Film Productions, cofounded with her best friend, actress Goldie Hawn,” the documentary synopsis states.
Her designs were first seen on the big screen in Arthur Hiller’s...
- 6/18/2024
- by Lauren Cahoone
- The Wrap
Anthea Sylbert, an Oscar-nominated costume designer who worked on some of the signature films of the late 1960s and 1970s, including “Rosemary’s Baby,” “Carnal Knowledge,” “Chinatown,” “Shampoo,” “Julia” and “King Kong,” and a producer later in her career on a number of films starring Goldie Hawn, has died. She was 84.
Her death was confirmed by Robert Romanus, her stepson.
Sylbert, subject of a forthcoming documentary by Sakis Lalas titled “Anthea Sylbert: My Life in 3 Acts,” also served as an executive at United Artists and Warner Bros., at a time when there were few women in the C-suites of Hollywood. She also worked repeatedly with director Mike Nichols, both onscreen and onstage, and was Oscar-nominated for her costuming on period films “Chinatown” (1974) and “Julia” (1977).
Assessing Sylbert’s work on “Chinatown,” GlamAmor, a website dedicated to the history of fashion in film, said in 2012: “Sylbert crafted clothes for Faye Dunaway that...
Her death was confirmed by Robert Romanus, her stepson.
Sylbert, subject of a forthcoming documentary by Sakis Lalas titled “Anthea Sylbert: My Life in 3 Acts,” also served as an executive at United Artists and Warner Bros., at a time when there were few women in the C-suites of Hollywood. She also worked repeatedly with director Mike Nichols, both onscreen and onstage, and was Oscar-nominated for her costuming on period films “Chinatown” (1974) and “Julia” (1977).
Assessing Sylbert’s work on “Chinatown,” GlamAmor, a website dedicated to the history of fashion in film, said in 2012: “Sylbert crafted clothes for Faye Dunaway that...
- 6/18/2024
- by Carmel Dagan
- Variety Film + TV
Anthea Sylbert, the two-time Oscar-nominated costume designer who worked on Rosemary’s Baby, Chinatown, Carnal Knowledge, Shampoo and Julia before becoming a studio executive and producer, has died. She was 84.
Sylbert died Tuesday in Skiathos, Greece, director Sakis Lalas told The Hollywood Reporter. Lalas just finished a documentary about Sylbert titled, My Life in 3 Acts.
Sylbert partnered with two-time Oscar-winning production Richard Sylbert on eight films and with his twin brother, Paul Sylbert — her first husband and another Oscar-winning production designer — on another three.
“Paul is the more bitter, more angry of the two,” she told Peter Biskind in 1993. “Someone once put it this way: Dick is more of a diplomat. He will put the ice pick somewhere in your back, you’re not quite sure, and you sort of feel tickled; Paul, while facing you, sticks it in your gut. I always used to think that if you put them together,...
Sylbert died Tuesday in Skiathos, Greece, director Sakis Lalas told The Hollywood Reporter. Lalas just finished a documentary about Sylbert titled, My Life in 3 Acts.
Sylbert partnered with two-time Oscar-winning production Richard Sylbert on eight films and with his twin brother, Paul Sylbert — her first husband and another Oscar-winning production designer — on another three.
“Paul is the more bitter, more angry of the two,” she told Peter Biskind in 1993. “Someone once put it this way: Dick is more of a diplomat. He will put the ice pick somewhere in your back, you’re not quite sure, and you sort of feel tickled; Paul, while facing you, sticks it in your gut. I always used to think that if you put them together,...
- 6/18/2024
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Robert De Niro blames himself for not knowing enough about comedy to pull off a future Oscar-winning role.The ‘Raging Bull’ actor, 80, starred in and started filming the never-produced 1970s film ‘Bogart Slept Here’ – before the script was reconfigured into the 1977 film ‘The Goodbye Girl’, which won its star Richard Dreyfuss, 76, an Academy Award.De Niro said his then-director Mike Nichols, 83, didn’t find him a comedic fit and eventually fired him.He told Quentin Tarantino, 61, about the project during a question and answer session at the Tribeca Film Festival as it launched its De Niro Con celebration of its iconic co-founder: “I blame myself. I didn’t know certain things. It was a certain type of comedy – (scriptwriter) Neil Simon – that had the timing that would be a certain way… it just wasn’t working. “I shot for about two weeks. It was the worst. You know, I’ve...
- 6/15/2024
- by BANG Showbiz Reporter
- Bang Showbiz
This year’s Tribeca Film Festival has launched its De Niro Con celebration of its iconic co-founder, and one of the first big events included a rousing discussion with verbal odd couple Quentin Tarantino and Robert De Niro.
The event started on Friday afternoon with a screening of “Jackie Brown,” Tarantino’s 1997 third feature — via a handsome 35mm print on loan from Martin Scorsese. De Niro has a key supporting role as the recently-imprisoned Louis Gara, a man of few words with an ability to conjure violence quickly.
Tarantino, a notably quick-talking cinephile, peppered De Niro, a man of few words, with questions during their 40-minute post-film discussion, starting first with the actor’s ability to bring comedy to “Jackie Brown.” Tarantino praised De Niro’s portrayal of the “slow” ex-con — senses dulled from a post-prison daze and frequent bong hits during the movie.
“I’ve watched the movie with...
The event started on Friday afternoon with a screening of “Jackie Brown,” Tarantino’s 1997 third feature — via a handsome 35mm print on loan from Martin Scorsese. De Niro has a key supporting role as the recently-imprisoned Louis Gara, a man of few words with an ability to conjure violence quickly.
Tarantino, a notably quick-talking cinephile, peppered De Niro, a man of few words, with questions during their 40-minute post-film discussion, starting first with the actor’s ability to bring comedy to “Jackie Brown.” Tarantino praised De Niro’s portrayal of the “slow” ex-con — senses dulled from a post-prison daze and frequent bong hits during the movie.
“I’ve watched the movie with...
- 6/15/2024
- by William Earl
- Variety Film + TV
There was a time back in the 1990s when one wouldn’t find Robert De Niro doing many interviews. He supposedly didn’t like them, and felt awkward. However, today on the ‘first’ day of Tribeca’s De Niro Con, the actor’s Jackie Brown filmmaker Quentin Tarantino unlocked the method actor at the Sva Theater.
While the Q&a took place after a 35Mm print screening of Jackie Brown, how Tarantino’s process of working with the 2x Oscar winner was only one facet of their 30-minute plus dialogue.
For, what was truly racking Tarantino’s head: Why, oh, why was De Niro let go by Mike Nichols off of what would become Neil Simon’s The Goodbye Girl; the project originally known as Bogart Slept Here? The movie would wound up being directed by Herbert Ross, and the lead role of struggling actor Elliot Garfield would go to...
While the Q&a took place after a 35Mm print screening of Jackie Brown, how Tarantino’s process of working with the 2x Oscar winner was only one facet of their 30-minute plus dialogue.
For, what was truly racking Tarantino’s head: Why, oh, why was De Niro let go by Mike Nichols off of what would become Neil Simon’s The Goodbye Girl; the project originally known as Bogart Slept Here? The movie would wound up being directed by Herbert Ross, and the lead role of struggling actor Elliot Garfield would go to...
- 6/14/2024
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
“I love to play characters who are ironically interesting and challenging in terms of the way they navigate through life,” shares Linda Lavin about how she chooses roles, including the one she recently portrayed on “Elsbeth.” Her guest appearance on the new CBS drama series was indeed challenging as she stepped into the shoes of the sharp-tongued Gloria, the president of a luxury New York City co-op who is murdered by a real estate agent with a vendetta (Jane Krakowski) and her fed-up tenants. The legendary actress appears in the second episode, “A Classic New York Character,” and calls Gloria “provocative” because of the “evil and dangerous and malicious” things she says. Watch our exclusive video interview above.
Lavin has made many guest appearances in her over 60 years on television, including on “The Good Wife,” which is the series on which Carrie Preston’s character Elsbeth was first introduced. The...
Lavin has made many guest appearances in her over 60 years on television, including on “The Good Wife,” which is the series on which Carrie Preston’s character Elsbeth was first introduced. The...
- 6/6/2024
- by David Buchanan
- Gold Derby
Amazon MGM Studios has handed an official pilot order to Band, a drama created and executive produced by Daniel Barnz who will direct the pilot and serve as showrunner on the potential series. The project had had a blinking green light for weeks while assembling its cast. The actors have now been set, including John Benjamin Hickey and Miguel Angel Garcia who star alongside Lynley Eilers, Alex Fitzalan, Henry Hunter Hall and Chanté Adams.
L-r: Chante Adams, Henry Hunter Hall, Lynley Eilers, Alex Fitzalan
Band is a diverse ensemble of passionate teens who navigate the chaos of adolescence while finding unity and belonging in their school’s marching band. Star player Axel (Garcia), his fiercely loyal best friend Sasha (Eilers), sexy newcomer Simon (Fitzalan), heartthrob drummer Evan (Hall), friends, and lovers march under the watchful eye of their fearless leader Cole (Hickey) and his right-hand Zadie (Adams). As the adults...
L-r: Chante Adams, Henry Hunter Hall, Lynley Eilers, Alex Fitzalan
Band is a diverse ensemble of passionate teens who navigate the chaos of adolescence while finding unity and belonging in their school’s marching band. Star player Axel (Garcia), his fiercely loyal best friend Sasha (Eilers), sexy newcomer Simon (Fitzalan), heartthrob drummer Evan (Hall), friends, and lovers march under the watchful eye of their fearless leader Cole (Hickey) and his right-hand Zadie (Adams). As the adults...
- 5/29/2024
- by Nellie Andreeva
- Deadline Film + TV
Jerry Herman’s musical “Hello, Dolly!” dominated the 18th Tony Awards which took place at the New York Hilton on May 24, 1964. “Hello, Dolly!” entered the ceremony with 11 nominations and walked out with ten awards including best musical, best actress for Carol Channing, original score for Herman and for Gower Champion’s choreography and direction.
Other musicals in contention for multiple awards that year were “High Spirits,” based on Noel Coward’s classic comedy “Blithe Spirit,” “Funny Girl,” which transformed Barbra Streisand into a Broadway superstar, and “110 in the Shade,” based on the straight play “The Rainmaker.”
Bert Lahr, best known as the Cowardly Lion in the 1939 classic “The Wizard of Oz,” won lead actor in a musical for “Foxy,” based on Ben Jonson’s “Volpone.” The musical was not a hit closed after 72 performances. Also nominated in the category was Bob Fosse for a short-lived revival of Rodgers and Hart’s “Pal Joey.
Other musicals in contention for multiple awards that year were “High Spirits,” based on Noel Coward’s classic comedy “Blithe Spirit,” “Funny Girl,” which transformed Barbra Streisand into a Broadway superstar, and “110 in the Shade,” based on the straight play “The Rainmaker.”
Bert Lahr, best known as the Cowardly Lion in the 1939 classic “The Wizard of Oz,” won lead actor in a musical for “Foxy,” based on Ben Jonson’s “Volpone.” The musical was not a hit closed after 72 performances. Also nominated in the category was Bob Fosse for a short-lived revival of Rodgers and Hart’s “Pal Joey.
- 5/15/2024
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
Succession star Sarah Snook and singer-actress Nicole Scherzinger were among the big winners at the 2024 Olivier Awards, which were revealed this evening at the Royal Albert Hall in London. Scroll down for the full list of winners.
Snook picked up the Best Actress gong for her multi-character performance in the Sydney Theatre Company’s version of Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray. The play also picked up Best Costume Design for Marg Horwell. Scherzinger landed Best Actress in a Musical for her turn as Norma Desmond in the recent revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Broadway-bound Sunset Boulevard.
Elsewhere, the Best Director award went to Jamie Lloyd for the Savoy Theatre production of Sunset Boulevard while Vanya starring Andrew Scott landed Best Revival. Mark Gatiss won Best Actor for The Motive and the Cue. Will Close nabbed Best Supporting Actor for his role in the National Theatre’s...
Snook picked up the Best Actress gong for her multi-character performance in the Sydney Theatre Company’s version of Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray. The play also picked up Best Costume Design for Marg Horwell. Scherzinger landed Best Actress in a Musical for her turn as Norma Desmond in the recent revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Broadway-bound Sunset Boulevard.
Elsewhere, the Best Director award went to Jamie Lloyd for the Savoy Theatre production of Sunset Boulevard while Vanya starring Andrew Scott landed Best Revival. Mark Gatiss won Best Actor for The Motive and the Cue. Will Close nabbed Best Supporting Actor for his role in the National Theatre’s...
- 4/14/2024
- by Baz Bamigboye and Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
A few years ago, after a few rough battles with the press and paparazzi and the cancellation of his MSNBC talk show, Alec Baldwin penned a much-publicized article announcing he’d be leaving “public life.” He reconsidered that departure and then appeared in the popular 2018 films “BlacKkKlansman,” “Mission Impossible: Fallout” and “A Star Is Born,” as well as the 2019 release “Motherless Brooklyn.” On the small screen, he appeared in the limited series “The Looming Tower,” recreated his recurring role on the reboot of “Will and Grace” and hosted “Match Game.”
Most notably Baldwin continued his appearances on “Saturday Night Live” lampooning Donald Trump. He made so many appearances in 2017 that he won an Emmy as Best Comedy Supporting Actor, his third career prize after his two leading wins for “30 Rock.”
On the film side, Baldwin earned Oscar, Golden Globe, SAG and Critics Choice nominations for his supporting turn in...
Most notably Baldwin continued his appearances on “Saturday Night Live” lampooning Donald Trump. He made so many appearances in 2017 that he won an Emmy as Best Comedy Supporting Actor, his third career prize after his two leading wins for “30 Rock.”
On the film side, Baldwin earned Oscar, Golden Globe, SAG and Critics Choice nominations for his supporting turn in...
- 3/30/2024
- by Misty Holland, Robert Pius and Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
With the 96th Academy Awards in the history books, it’s time to become obsessed over the 77th Tony Awards. Nominations are April 30th with the awards set to air on CBS on June 16 from Lincoln Center. Among the contenders for Tony nominations are many musicals based on movies including “Back to the Future,’ “The Notebook,” “Water for Elephants” and “The Outsiders”: high profile revivals such as Ibsen’s “An Enemy of the People” with Jeremy Strong; “Cabaret” with Oscar-winner Eddie Redmayne and the Who’s “Tommy”; imports from London and transfers from off-Broadway.
Do you remember the Tony landscape 50 years ago? The 28th annual honors took place April 21, 1974, at the Shubert Theater and aired on ABC. And to say it was a star-studded affair is something of an understatement. Robert Preston, Peter Falk, Cicely Tyson, Florence Henderson hosted; presenters included Al Pacino –-let’s hope he had better...
Do you remember the Tony landscape 50 years ago? The 28th annual honors took place April 21, 1974, at the Shubert Theater and aired on ABC. And to say it was a star-studded affair is something of an understatement. Robert Preston, Peter Falk, Cicely Tyson, Florence Henderson hosted; presenters included Al Pacino –-let’s hope he had better...
- 3/14/2024
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
A year after it moved from its longtime PBS home to CNN, the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor is switching telecast partners again. Netflix has struck a multi-year deal with the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts to move the Mark Twain Prize event to the streamer.
The deal begins this year, with Kevin Hart honored at the ceremony. This marks the 25th anniversary of the Mark Twain Prize, and Hart will be recognized “for his extraordinary contributions to the genre and his impressive achievements across comedy, film, and television.” This year’s event takes placeat the Kennedy Center Concert Hall on Sunday, March 24, and will be taped to premiere on Netflix on Saturday, May 11 — as the Netflix is a Joke Fest takes place in Los Angeles.
Performers set for this year’s Mark Twain ceremony including Dave “Lil Dicky” Burd, Dave Chappelle, Jimmy Fallon, Tiffany Haddish,...
The deal begins this year, with Kevin Hart honored at the ceremony. This marks the 25th anniversary of the Mark Twain Prize, and Hart will be recognized “for his extraordinary contributions to the genre and his impressive achievements across comedy, film, and television.” This year’s event takes placeat the Kennedy Center Concert Hall on Sunday, March 24, and will be taped to premiere on Netflix on Saturday, May 11 — as the Netflix is a Joke Fest takes place in Los Angeles.
Performers set for this year’s Mark Twain ceremony including Dave “Lil Dicky” Burd, Dave Chappelle, Jimmy Fallon, Tiffany Haddish,...
- 3/14/2024
- by Michael Schneider
- Variety Film + TV
With Robert Downey Jr. tasting the Oscar glory for his immaculate performance in Oppenheimer, it’s time for his ex-partner Sarah Jessica Parker to shine at the Olivier Awards. Known for starring in HBO’s Sex and the City, the actor, who was previously tied to the Iron Man Star, starred opposite her husband of 26 years, Matthew Broderick, in Neil Simon’s 1968 play, Plaza Suite.
Following her brilliance in the play, the Hocus Pocus Star is now one of the frontrunners for the Best Actress accolade in the UK’s most prestigious Theatre Awards Ceremony.
Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick | Plaza Suite Sarah Jessica Parker Earns Herself Best Actress Nod at the Olivier Awards
After earning rave reviews from Theatre critics, with many citing her performance as a revelation, Sarah Jessica Parker has now garnered a nod for Best Actress in the Olivier Awards for Plaza Suite. The 3-act...
Following her brilliance in the play, the Hocus Pocus Star is now one of the frontrunners for the Best Actress accolade in the UK’s most prestigious Theatre Awards Ceremony.
Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick | Plaza Suite Sarah Jessica Parker Earns Herself Best Actress Nod at the Olivier Awards
After earning rave reviews from Theatre critics, with many citing her performance as a revelation, Sarah Jessica Parker has now garnered a nod for Best Actress in the Olivier Awards for Plaza Suite. The 3-act...
- 3/13/2024
- by Santanu Roy
- FandomWire
We are still approximately six weeks away from learning the nominees for the 77th Tony Awards, but across the pond the finalists for the 2024 Olivier Awards were just announced. A radical new remounting of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Sunset Boulevard” directed by Jamie Lloyd and starring Nicole Scherzinger is the most nominated show of the year with 11 citations. Another musical revival is nipping at its heels: the immersive “Guys and Dolls” scored 10, as did new play “Dear England,” which centers on England’s national men’s football team and stars Joseph Fiennes as Gareth Southgate. Scroll down to see a complete list of 2024 Olivier Awards nominations.
American audiences will be familiar with many of the plays, musicals and performers nominated this year. The Best New Musical category includes Tony Award-winning shows “Next to Normal” and “A Strange Loop,” while Best Musical Revival boasts productions of “Groundhog Day” and “Hadestown.” Caissie Levy,...
American audiences will be familiar with many of the plays, musicals and performers nominated this year. The Best New Musical category includes Tony Award-winning shows “Next to Normal” and “A Strange Loop,” while Best Musical Revival boasts productions of “Groundhog Day” and “Hadestown.” Caissie Levy,...
- 3/12/2024
- by David Buchanan
- Gold Derby
Richard Lewis’ career has, in some ways, always been defined by his proximity to darkness. As a stand-up comedian, he laid bare his personal struggles with drug addiction and alcoholism, pacing across the stage in his trademark all-black uniform, wringing his hands while he recounted how deeply he hated himself. (The title of his 1985 standup special? “I’m In Pain.”) And on Curb Your Enthusiasm, in which he played himself in perhaps his best known role, his health struggles became fodder for the show, with a 2005 kidney transplant inspiring a whole season arc.
- 2/28/2024
- by Ej Dickson
- Rollingstone.com
Lynda Gravátt, the Harlem-born actress who starred on New York stages in such productions as 45 Seconds From Broadway, Doubt, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, The Old Settler and Intimate Apparel, has died. She was 76.
Gravátt died Friday at a hospital in New Brunswick, New Jersey, her son David Gravátt told The Hollywood Reporter.
A founding member of Robert Alexander’s Living Stage at the famed Washington-based Arena Stage company, Gravátt received a 1999 Theatre World trophy for her performance as 1940s Harlem resident Quilly McGrath in The Old Settler and a Audelco prize in 2004 for her turn as the bossy landlady Mrs. Dickson in Intimate Apparel.
On Broadway in 2001, she stood by for Leslie Uggams as Ruby in August Wilson’s King Hedley II and portrayed Bessie James in Neil Simon’s 45 Seconds From Broadway, then appeared as Mrs. Muller in 2016 in the original Broadway production of John Patrick Shanley’s Doubt.
Gravátt died Friday at a hospital in New Brunswick, New Jersey, her son David Gravátt told The Hollywood Reporter.
A founding member of Robert Alexander’s Living Stage at the famed Washington-based Arena Stage company, Gravátt received a 1999 Theatre World trophy for her performance as 1940s Harlem resident Quilly McGrath in The Old Settler and a Audelco prize in 2004 for her turn as the bossy landlady Mrs. Dickson in Intimate Apparel.
On Broadway in 2001, she stood by for Leslie Uggams as Ruby in August Wilson’s King Hedley II and portrayed Bessie James in Neil Simon’s 45 Seconds From Broadway, then appeared as Mrs. Muller in 2016 in the original Broadway production of John Patrick Shanley’s Doubt.
- 2/27/2024
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Rita McKenzie, known for staging the longest-running one-woman show in theatrical history, died Feb. 17 in Los Angeles days before her 77th birthday. She succumbed to what her family described as a long-term illness.
A powerhouse stage voice and theatrical personality, McKenzie’s 1988 off-Broadway one-woman show, Ethel Merman’s Broadway, became the longest-running one- woman show in theatrical history.
McKenzie had a wide theatrical resume. She played Lita Encore in the Los Angeles premiere of Ruthless! The Musical and reprised the role in the recent New York revival of the show.
She also performed a wide range of stage roles throughout the U..S , including Reno Sweeney in Anything Goes!, appeared in the 50th Anniversary tour of Annie Get Your Gun, played Rose in Gypsy, and starred in a three-year U.S. tour of Neil Simon’s The Female Odd Couple, co-starring with Barbara Eden.
Additionally, she was the opening act...
A powerhouse stage voice and theatrical personality, McKenzie’s 1988 off-Broadway one-woman show, Ethel Merman’s Broadway, became the longest-running one- woman show in theatrical history.
McKenzie had a wide theatrical resume. She played Lita Encore in the Los Angeles premiere of Ruthless! The Musical and reprised the role in the recent New York revival of the show.
She also performed a wide range of stage roles throughout the U..S , including Reno Sweeney in Anything Goes!, appeared in the 50th Anniversary tour of Annie Get Your Gun, played Rose in Gypsy, and starred in a three-year U.S. tour of Neil Simon’s The Female Odd Couple, co-starring with Barbara Eden.
Additionally, she was the opening act...
- 2/18/2024
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
Rita McKenzie, the actress and singer best known for her boisterous performances in the one-woman show Ethel Merman’s Broadway, died Saturday in Los Angeles after a long illness, her husband, talent agent Scott Stander, announced. She was 76.
McKenzie first starred on stage as the powerful Merman — star of such iconic Broadway hits as Anything Goes, Annie Get Your Gun, Gypsy and Hello, Dolly! — in New York in 1988.
Belting out tunes like “There’s No Business Like Show Business,” “I Got Rhythm” and “Everything’s Coming Up Roses,” McKenzie toured throughout the U.S., Europe and Asia in what many consider the longest-running one-woman show in theatrical history.
She also starred in parts that Merman made famous: Reno Sweeney in Anything Goes!, the gunslinger in a 50th anniversary tour of Annie Get Your Gun and Rose in Gypsy.
Watch her perform here.
A native of Woodbridge Township, New Jersey, McKenzie starred...
McKenzie first starred on stage as the powerful Merman — star of such iconic Broadway hits as Anything Goes, Annie Get Your Gun, Gypsy and Hello, Dolly! — in New York in 1988.
Belting out tunes like “There’s No Business Like Show Business,” “I Got Rhythm” and “Everything’s Coming Up Roses,” McKenzie toured throughout the U.S., Europe and Asia in what many consider the longest-running one-woman show in theatrical history.
She also starred in parts that Merman made famous: Reno Sweeney in Anything Goes!, the gunslinger in a 50th anniversary tour of Annie Get Your Gun and Rose in Gypsy.
Watch her perform here.
A native of Woodbridge Township, New Jersey, McKenzie starred...
- 2/18/2024
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Ed Mintz, the founder of the motion picture industry’s tried-and-true audience polling service CinemaScore, died February 6. He was 83.
Known for its mathematical “Coca-Cola” algorithm developed by Mintz, CinemaScore has been prized by studios and exhibitors since its inception in the early 1980s as a domestic box office barometer for movies when it comes to its opening-night audience grades. Pre-pandemic, an A+ CinemaScore meant a movie could leg out to a 4.8x multiple off its U.S./Canada box office opening; a B+ meant a 3.2x multiple to final domestic gross; C+ and D+ 2.4x; and an F 2.2x.
CinemaScore continues to be operated by Mintz’s two sons, Harold and Ricky Mintz.
Mintz, a math wizard since his teenage years when he penned a book about square roots, The Mintz Method, sparked to the idea for CinemaScore in his late 30s in 1978. Mintz and his wife, along with another couple,...
Known for its mathematical “Coca-Cola” algorithm developed by Mintz, CinemaScore has been prized by studios and exhibitors since its inception in the early 1980s as a domestic box office barometer for movies when it comes to its opening-night audience grades. Pre-pandemic, an A+ CinemaScore meant a movie could leg out to a 4.8x multiple off its U.S./Canada box office opening; a B+ meant a 3.2x multiple to final domestic gross; C+ and D+ 2.4x; and an F 2.2x.
CinemaScore continues to be operated by Mintz’s two sons, Harold and Ricky Mintz.
Mintz, a math wizard since his teenage years when he penned a book about square roots, The Mintz Method, sparked to the idea for CinemaScore in his late 30s in 1978. Mintz and his wife, along with another couple,...
- 2/10/2024
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Sarah Jessica Parker took a bow at the premiere performance of Plaza Suite at The Savoy Theatre in London.
The actress appeared in a floral long-sleeved dress with a floral hat with flowers on top of her hat.
In her role, she acted opposite her real-life husband, Matthew Broderick, in a revival of the Neil Simon comedy.
Parker is known for her role as Carrie Bradshaw in Sex and The City. Prior to the series, she acted on Broadway in the 90s in the role of Princess Winifred in Once Upon a Mattress.
Plaza Suite is a classic Broadway show that takes place in the iconic Plaza Hotel with a married couple trying to help each other in their relationship by going back to a location where they fell madly in love with each other.
The revival originated on Broadway last year to mixed reviews.
The post Sarah...
The actress appeared in a floral long-sleeved dress with a floral hat with flowers on top of her hat.
In her role, she acted opposite her real-life husband, Matthew Broderick, in a revival of the Neil Simon comedy.
Parker is known for her role as Carrie Bradshaw in Sex and The City. Prior to the series, she acted on Broadway in the 90s in the role of Princess Winifred in Once Upon a Mattress.
Plaza Suite is a classic Broadway show that takes place in the iconic Plaza Hotel with a married couple trying to help each other in their relationship by going back to a location where they fell madly in love with each other.
The revival originated on Broadway last year to mixed reviews.
The post Sarah...
- 2/2/2024
- by Gianna Stephens
- Uinterview
Frank Sinatra went through phases like he went through wives. The legendary crooner and movie star could exhibit impeccable taste for what people wanted to see and hear, and then, in a few year's time, completely lose his grasp of the zeitgeist.
Sinatra was threatening to enter one of his down periods in the mid-1960s. The popular music scene was in the throes of Beatlemania, while moviegoers were tiring of the Rat Pack's antics. Who wanted to see Sinatra and the gang saunter their way through Western and gangster pastiches like "4 for Texas" and "Robin and the 7 Hoods" when they could watch Elvis Presley set the screen ablaze with Ann-Margret in "Viva Las Vegas"?
To be fair, Sinatra was still Sinatra, but after giving one of his finest performances in John Frankenheimer's "The Manchurian Candidate," he started playing it way too safe. Bud Yorkin and...
Sinatra was threatening to enter one of his down periods in the mid-1960s. The popular music scene was in the throes of Beatlemania, while moviegoers were tiring of the Rat Pack's antics. Who wanted to see Sinatra and the gang saunter their way through Western and gangster pastiches like "4 for Texas" and "Robin and the 7 Hoods" when they could watch Elvis Presley set the screen ablaze with Ann-Margret in "Viva Las Vegas"?
To be fair, Sinatra was still Sinatra, but after giving one of his finest performances in John Frankenheimer's "The Manchurian Candidate," he started playing it way too safe. Bud Yorkin and...
- 2/1/2024
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
Many folks discovered actor Holt McCallany in his brawny breakout role as FBI analyst Bill Tench in David Fincher’s serial killer series “Mindhunter” (Netflix). McCallany, who is 60, brought an old-fashioned robust masculinity over three decades to countless smaller roles, from Fincher’s “Alien 3” and “Fight Club” to Guillermo del Toro’s “Nightmare Alley.”
“Del Toro is one of the kindest, smartest and most gifted filmmakers,” said McCallany over Zoom. “The only thing is, he wouldn’t let me do my own stunts. ‘Guillermo. I can do it! Believe in me!’ I get run over by a car by Bradley Cooper. They let me do the part where I get smashed in the face by the bumper, but he wouldn’t let me roll over.”
Now he pops out of the ensemble in Sean Durkin’s holiday hit “Iron Claw” (A24) as Fritz Von Erich, the controlling patriarch to...
“Del Toro is one of the kindest, smartest and most gifted filmmakers,” said McCallany over Zoom. “The only thing is, he wouldn’t let me do my own stunts. ‘Guillermo. I can do it! Believe in me!’ I get run over by a car by Bradley Cooper. They let me do the part where I get smashed in the face by the bumper, but he wouldn’t let me roll over.”
Now he pops out of the ensemble in Sean Durkin’s holiday hit “Iron Claw” (A24) as Fritz Von Erich, the controlling patriarch to...
- 1/17/2024
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
When Dominic Sessa found out he had been cast in Alexander Payne’s The Holdovers, he was a high school senior at the prestigious boarding school Deerfield Academy in Massachusetts and was in the middle of writing a paper about “Hamlet or something” for a teacher who rarely gave good grades and was “super hard to impress,” he says. It was a tiny bit of art imitating life, as Sessa had just discovered he would be playing a teen at a fictional institution not unlike Deerfield who develops a bond over one lonely Christmas with an irascible professor played by Paul Giamatti — who rarely hands out an A.
Sessa never ended up finishing the paper. “I remember just slamming my laptop shut,” he recalls. It seems unlikely that Giamatti’s Paul Hunham would ever give Sessa’s Angus Tully the benefit of the doubt, but in real life, Sessa got away with this academic lapse.
Sessa never ended up finishing the paper. “I remember just slamming my laptop shut,” he recalls. It seems unlikely that Giamatti’s Paul Hunham would ever give Sessa’s Angus Tully the benefit of the doubt, but in real life, Sessa got away with this academic lapse.
- 1/16/2024
- by Esther Zuckerman
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Clockwise l to r: Some Like It Hot (Marc J. Franklin), Waitress (Josh Lehrer), Spamalot (Joan Marcus), Legally Blonde (Paul Kolnik)Graphic: The A.V. Club
It’s nothing new for Broadway creatives to look to Hollywood for inspiration, but the trend has gotten a little out of hand in recent years.
It’s nothing new for Broadway creatives to look to Hollywood for inspiration, but the trend has gotten a little out of hand in recent years.
- 1/15/2024
- by Cindy White
- avclub.com
A chance audition – and a broken femur – led to a role in Alexander Payne’s boarding school drama The Holdovers, and the debut of a lifetime. Its star’s next ambition? To be in movies without becoming famous
Dominic Sessa wasn’t thinking about the movies when he entered his senior year of high school at Deerfield Academy in western Massachusetts. The original plan was hockey – Sessa, a scholarship student from southern New Jersey, knew that New England prep schools are a launchpad for college careers. But a broken femur and the school’s winter activity requirement landed him in theatre, which he took to like a fish to water. So, new plan: maybe drama school. But in autumn 2021, when Sessa was starring in a student production of Neil Simon’s Rumors, his drama teacher asked him to audition for a Hollywood casting director who was scouting Deerfield as a potential filming location.
Dominic Sessa wasn’t thinking about the movies when he entered his senior year of high school at Deerfield Academy in western Massachusetts. The original plan was hockey – Sessa, a scholarship student from southern New Jersey, knew that New England prep schools are a launchpad for college careers. But a broken femur and the school’s winter activity requirement landed him in theatre, which he took to like a fish to water. So, new plan: maybe drama school. But in autumn 2021, when Sessa was starring in a student production of Neil Simon’s Rumors, his drama teacher asked him to audition for a Hollywood casting director who was scouting Deerfield as a potential filming location.
- 1/15/2024
- by Adrian Horton
- The Guardian - Film News
A double-holiday week on Broadway – the final week of 2023 – saw a surge in box office, with many shows posting record numbers.
Winner of the week? Disney’s The Lion King, which grossed a massive $4,316,629, not only setting a house record at the Minskoff but a Broadway record for the highest single-week gross ever, a big achievement even when noting that the long-running musical played nine performances, as did other productions over the holidays.
Broadway’s final week of the calendar year included both Christmas and New Year’s Eve, with tourists and high ticket prices sending the total weekly gross for the 27 shows to $45,413,789, a 36% increase over the previous week but about 13% lower than last year’s New Year’s Eve week tally when 33 productions were on the boards.
Total attendance for the week ending December 31 was 256,751, a 14% bump over the previous week (but down 18% from last year). About 96% of all seats were filled,...
Winner of the week? Disney’s The Lion King, which grossed a massive $4,316,629, not only setting a house record at the Minskoff but a Broadway record for the highest single-week gross ever, a big achievement even when noting that the long-running musical played nine performances, as did other productions over the holidays.
Broadway’s final week of the calendar year included both Christmas and New Year’s Eve, with tourists and high ticket prices sending the total weekly gross for the 27 shows to $45,413,789, a 36% increase over the previous week but about 13% lower than last year’s New Year’s Eve week tally when 33 productions were on the boards.
Total attendance for the week ending December 31 was 256,751, a 14% bump over the previous week (but down 18% from last year). About 96% of all seats were filled,...
- 1/3/2024
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Updated with Mj totals: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child has set a Broadway record for weekly ticket sales for a non-musical play, reporting a gross of $2,718,487.50 for the week ending Sunday. It was one of several high marks achieved for Main Stem shows in 2023’s final box office frame.
The Harry Potter gross passed the high mark originally set the week ending January 1, 2023. It is also a house record for the play’s home the Lyric Theatre.
The Tony-winning play has sold more than 10 million tickets worldwide since its July 2016 premiere and is Broadway’s most successful non-musical play with more than $330 million in total sales. A North American tour is set to launch in September 2024 in Chicago.
At the Neil Simon, the musical Mj topped its house record for an 11th time since opening in December 2021 and winning four Tonys. The production grossed $2,613,841 for its week, which ended...
The Harry Potter gross passed the high mark originally set the week ending January 1, 2023. It is also a house record for the play’s home the Lyric Theatre.
The Tony-winning play has sold more than 10 million tickets worldwide since its July 2016 premiere and is Broadway’s most successful non-musical play with more than $330 million in total sales. A North American tour is set to launch in September 2024 in Chicago.
At the Neil Simon, the musical Mj topped its house record for an 11th time since opening in December 2021 and winning four Tonys. The production grossed $2,613,841 for its week, which ended...
- 1/1/2024
- by Patrick Hipes
- Deadline Film + TV
Norman Lear, the writer, producer and citizen activist who coalesced topical conflict and outrageous comedy in such wildly popular sitcoms as All in the Family, Maude, Good Times, Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman and The Jeffersons, has died. He was 101.
Lear died Tuesday at his home in Los Angeles surrounded by his family who, according to a statement on his official Instagram account, sang songs until the very end.
“Norman lived a life in awe of the world around him. He marveled at his cup of coffee every morning, the shape of the tree outside his window, and the sounds of beautiful music,” read the post. “But it was people — those he just met and those he knew for decades — who kept his mind and heart forever young. As we celebrate his legacy and reflect on the next chapter of life without him, we would like to thank everyone for all the love and support.
Lear died Tuesday at his home in Los Angeles surrounded by his family who, according to a statement on his official Instagram account, sang songs until the very end.
“Norman lived a life in awe of the world around him. He marveled at his cup of coffee every morning, the shape of the tree outside his window, and the sounds of beautiful music,” read the post. “But it was people — those he just met and those he knew for decades — who kept his mind and heart forever young. As we celebrate his legacy and reflect on the next chapter of life without him, we would like to thank everyone for all the love and support.
- 12/6/2023
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The newest group of Kennedy Center honorees, including comedian Billy Crystal and actor Queen Latifah, were feted Sunday night at a star-studded event commemorating their lifetime achievement in arts and entertainment.
Opera singer Renée Fleming, music star Barry Gibb and prolific hitmaker Dionne Warwick were also honored at the black-tie gala. Each received personalized tributes, including appearances and performances that are typically kept secret from the honorees themselves.
President Joe Biden welcomed the honorees to the White House before the event, saying the performing arts “reflect who we are as Americans and as human beings.”
The honorees “have helped shape how we see ourselves, how we see each other and how we see our world,” said Biden who then introduced this year’s class with a set of glowing superlatives about their work.
Biden and First Lady Jill Biden then headed to the Kennedy Center to attend the festivities. The...
Opera singer Renée Fleming, music star Barry Gibb and prolific hitmaker Dionne Warwick were also honored at the black-tie gala. Each received personalized tributes, including appearances and performances that are typically kept secret from the honorees themselves.
President Joe Biden welcomed the honorees to the White House before the event, saying the performing arts “reflect who we are as Americans and as human beings.”
The honorees “have helped shape how we see ourselves, how we see each other and how we see our world,” said Biden who then introduced this year’s class with a set of glowing superlatives about their work.
Biden and First Lady Jill Biden then headed to the Kennedy Center to attend the festivities. The...
- 12/4/2023
- by The Associated Press
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Even if you don’t immediately recognize the name Frances Sternhagen, there’s still a good chance that you’ve seen her acting in something at some point over the decades. Sternhagen has stage and screen credits going back decades, and over that time she racked up Emmy nominations and Tony wins. Sadly, it’s being reported today that she passed away of natural causes this past Monday, at the age of 93.
Sternhagen earned her first screen credit on the TV show Producers’ Showcase in 1955, and went on to work on 75 other projects, including the Burt Reynolds comedy Starting Over, the Sean Connery sci-fi classic Outland, Independence Day – the 1983 drama, not the alien invasion movie; Dudley Moore’s Romantic Comedy, the John Lithgow / Morgan Freeman drama Resting Place, the Michael J. Fox drama Bright Lights, Big City and the Michael J. Fox comedy Doc Hollywood, Tales from the Crypt, The Outer Limits,...
Sternhagen earned her first screen credit on the TV show Producers’ Showcase in 1955, and went on to work on 75 other projects, including the Burt Reynolds comedy Starting Over, the Sean Connery sci-fi classic Outland, Independence Day – the 1983 drama, not the alien invasion movie; Dudley Moore’s Romantic Comedy, the John Lithgow / Morgan Freeman drama Resting Place, the Michael J. Fox drama Bright Lights, Big City and the Michael J. Fox comedy Doc Hollywood, Tales from the Crypt, The Outer Limits,...
- 11/29/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
Frances Sternhagen, a Tony-winning actress with many decades on the stage and screen, died Monday of natural causes in New Rochelle, N.Y.
She was known for her recurring role as the regal grandmother of Dr. Carter (Noah Wyle) on “ER” and as Cliff’s mother on “Cheers,” for which she was twice nominated for Emmys.
“Frannie, as she was known to her family, friends, and colleagues was a hardworking, award-winning, beloved and celebrated actress for over 60 years. Her foundation was the theater, but she was known for roles in film, television, and spoken arts. She was versatile – adept at comedy as well as drama, character roles and leading ladies,” her family said in a statement.
Sternhagen made a distinct impression in her role as the doctor who helps Sean Connery’s cop in Peter Hyams’ 1981 sci-film “Outland” and in “Misery,” she played the sheriff’s wife Virginia, who was...
She was known for her recurring role as the regal grandmother of Dr. Carter (Noah Wyle) on “ER” and as Cliff’s mother on “Cheers,” for which she was twice nominated for Emmys.
“Frannie, as she was known to her family, friends, and colleagues was a hardworking, award-winning, beloved and celebrated actress for over 60 years. Her foundation was the theater, but she was known for roles in film, television, and spoken arts. She was versatile – adept at comedy as well as drama, character roles and leading ladies,” her family said in a statement.
Sternhagen made a distinct impression in her role as the doctor who helps Sean Connery’s cop in Peter Hyams’ 1981 sci-film “Outland” and in “Misery,” she played the sheriff’s wife Virginia, who was...
- 11/29/2023
- by Carmel Dagan
- Variety Film + TV
Frances Sternhagen, the versatile actress whose half-century on Broadway included two Tony Awards, seven nominations and memorable roles in Equus, On Golden Pond and The Heiress, has died. She was 93.
Sternhagen died peacefully Monday of natural causes at her home in New Rochelle, New York, her family said in a statement obtained by The Hollywood Reporter. “We continue to be inspired by her love and life,” they noted.
With all her success on the stage, Sternhagen is perhaps best known for playing two mothers on television: the blue-blooded Bunny MacDougal on HBO’s Sex and the City and the overbearing Esther Clavin on NBC’s Cheers. She received Emmy nominations for both performances.
Sternhagen specialized in portraying characters who had a no-nonsense, overbearing attitude and plucky fortitude. She relished roles that were off the beaten track — the odder and more eccentric, the better.
“I must say it’s fun to play these snobby older ladies.
Sternhagen died peacefully Monday of natural causes at her home in New Rochelle, New York, her family said in a statement obtained by The Hollywood Reporter. “We continue to be inspired by her love and life,” they noted.
With all her success on the stage, Sternhagen is perhaps best known for playing two mothers on television: the blue-blooded Bunny MacDougal on HBO’s Sex and the City and the overbearing Esther Clavin on NBC’s Cheers. She received Emmy nominations for both performances.
Sternhagen specialized in portraying characters who had a no-nonsense, overbearing attitude and plucky fortitude. She relished roles that were off the beaten track — the odder and more eccentric, the better.
“I must say it’s fun to play these snobby older ladies.
- 11/29/2023
- by Chris Koseluk
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Frances Sternhagen, the legendary Broadway actress who won two Tony Awards, was nominated for another five and achieved lasting and widespread recognition for her comedically stern portrayal of Esther Clavin, the demanding mother of insufferable postman Cliff Claven on Cheers, died Nov. 27 of natural causes. She was 93.
Her death was announced by her son, the actor John Carlin, on Instagram.
“Frannie. Mom. Frances Sternhagen. On Monday night, Nov 27, she died peacefully at her home, a month and a half shy of her 94th birthday,” Carlin wrote today, ending the tribute with “Fly on, Frannie. The curtain goes down on a life so richly, passionately, humbly and generously lived.”
See Carlin’s Instagram post below.
Sternhagen, one of the New York stage’s most celebrated and beloved stars, gave indelible performances in productions including the 1972 production of The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window, Equus in 1975, Angel in 1978, On Golden Pond in 1979 and,...
Her death was announced by her son, the actor John Carlin, on Instagram.
“Frannie. Mom. Frances Sternhagen. On Monday night, Nov 27, she died peacefully at her home, a month and a half shy of her 94th birthday,” Carlin wrote today, ending the tribute with “Fly on, Frannie. The curtain goes down on a life so richly, passionately, humbly and generously lived.”
See Carlin’s Instagram post below.
Sternhagen, one of the New York stage’s most celebrated and beloved stars, gave indelible performances in productions including the 1972 production of The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window, Equus in 1975, Angel in 1978, On Golden Pond in 1979 and,...
- 11/29/2023
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Sitcoms are among some of the most beloved TV shows ever made. Unlike respected premium drama series like "The Wire," "Breaking Bad," or "True Detective," which regularly top lists of the greatest TV shows ever made, shows like "Friends," "Seinfeld," "Cheers," and "The Office" are beloved in a way that feels a lot more personal. Sitcoms are feel-good experiences, even when they're shows about nothing, and are the exact opposite of David Fincher's intense thrillers.
Which is why I can't shake the feeling that the auteur is making fun of himself with his latest effort. As /Film's Chris Evangelista wrote in his review of "The Killer," "I'm not saying Fincher is on the same level as a cold-blooded killer, but he clearly sees a lot of himself (and his approach to his work) in his latest protagonist." But if the director was trying to draw this parallel between the...
Which is why I can't shake the feeling that the auteur is making fun of himself with his latest effort. As /Film's Chris Evangelista wrote in his review of "The Killer," "I'm not saying Fincher is on the same level as a cold-blooded killer, but he clearly sees a lot of himself (and his approach to his work) in his latest protagonist." But if the director was trying to draw this parallel between the...
- 11/25/2023
- by Joe Roberts
- Slash Film
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